THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
CHAPTER 11-WE MEET AGAIN, AND I DON'T LIKE HIM
He had been doing his best to follow Andrew for what felt like at least an hour before Xander finally lost track of the nerd and sat down. It was now nearly the middle of the night and they hadn't found anyone, let alone Anya. With a sudden sense of dread be began to wonder if any of the demons that had lived in Sunnydale had made it through the city's collapse. Shaking off a nervous sigh he stood back up and took off in the direction where he last saw Andrew. He didn't remember Andrew being able to move very fast but soon Xander found himself wishing that he had place a collar with a little bell on it around the former nerd's neck before letting him out of the van.
"Uh hello…is anyone there…C-Cordelia, Anya…," Andrew shouted meekly with a terrified look on his face as he held the digital video camera up in front of him and waved it all around. His scared question was greeted by complete silence, causing the former nerd villain to almost jump out of his own skin when he heard someone call his name.
"Andrew…," Anya shouted more out of shock than out of joy as she and Cordelia slowly materialized out of the darkness.
"Ah…," Andrew screamed with a terrified look on his face as he caught site of the two women, completely covered head to toe in dust, dirt, and a little blood.
"Andrew…," Cordelia shouted with an angry frown on her face as she tried to grab hold of and calm down the nerd.
"N…no…you're not real…you're…," Andrew stammered out with a very scared look on his face before Anya shrugged her shoulders, reared back, and slapped Andrew hard across the face.
"Get a hold of yourself Andrew…we're real…enough," Anya shouted with a very annoyed scowl on her face as he placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward to glare at Andrew.
"Ow…that hurt," Andrew moaned with a sad puppy dog look on his face as he placed a hand on the cheek that Anya had just slapped.
"Quit complaining ya big baby…I didn't hit ya that hard," Anya replied with a bored roll of her eyes as she turned back towards Cordelia.
"Andrew…what are you doing here," Cordelia asked with a hesitant look of hope on her face as she tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear.
"Looking for the two of you…," Andrew answered with a nervous frown on his face as he took a quick step back away from Cordelia and Anya.
"Well this is you lucky day then…you found us in record time, and with only a little bit of screaming like a girl…," Anya started to say with a slightly amused smile on her face before she was interrupted.
"Anya…," Xander gasped out with an overwhelmed look on his face as he came upon the scene.
"Xander…," Anya said back, barely louder than a whisper, as she turned to face her former fiancé. A tear welled up in Andrew's eye as he saw Xander and Anya rush towards each other and then embrace tightly. For her part Cordelia watched the pair for a few seconds before she turned away, looking like she were about to cry.
"Yep, mission accomplished," Andrew mumbled to no one in particular with an overjoyed look on his face as happy tears slid down his cheeks.
* * * * * *
"Well…," Dawn asked with a very worried look on her face as she crowded in next to Vi, who along with Gunn was holding the front doors of the Hyperion open. Willow and Kennedy stood off to one side, silently following the action in front of them. Lorne stood in the middle of the open doorway with his eyes closed and a serious frown on his face while behind him Fred held a blank notepad and a new pen.
"Yep…I was right…," Lorne mumbled with a pleased smile on his face before he opened his eyes and turned around.
"Right about what," Robin asked with a slightly confused and concerned scowl on his face as he stood at the top of the stairs. All eyes turned to the son of a former slayer as he slowly walked down the stairs, only wincing slightly as he almost slipped on the last step.
"About what happened to Buffy," Vi answered with a worried look on her face as she jammed her hands into her pockets.
"What do you mean what happened to Buffy, isn't she asleep upstairs in one of the rooms," Robin demanded with a every growing look of concern on his face as he covered the distance between the bottom of the stairs and the small group assembled at the Hyperion's front doors.
"Uh…um…no," Will stuttered softly with a very nervous scrunching up of her face and shrug of her shoulders as Kennedy wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders.
"I don't know why everyone's worrying so much…she probably just went out for a walk or something…," Kennedy said with a dismissive frown on her face as he kept herself from looking Dawn's way.
"She would have told one of us if she had Kennedy," Fred said with a serious frown on her face as she put pen to paper and started to write.
"So any luck in finding her…," Robin asked with a frustrated look on his face as he ran a nervous hand over his head.
"If you define luck by the absence of success then…lots…," Willow replied meekly, looking suddenly like she did back in her freshman year of high school before Buffy came and everything changed.
"Okay…then where's Faith…she's still here, somewhere…right," Robin said with a steadily growing look of concern on his face as he put his hands on his hips and looked around at everyone assembled.
"Uh actually…she's kinda missing in action to…I haven't seen her since last night," Rhona replied with a nervous and repressed look of fear on her face as she glanced up at Robin.
"What do you mean you haven't seen her since last night, wasn't she here all night," Gunn asked with an unhappy frown on his face as he looked to Fred, who shared his concerns.
"I…I don't know, the last time I saw her she followed that, other watcher out the front doors," Vi replied meekly with a slight shrug of her shoulders before she walked over and sat down on the bottom step of the stairs.
"Of course…I should have known…Wyndam-Pryce," Robin muttered angrily under his breath, but loud enough that everyone near him heard, before he turned on his heel and looked like had Wesley been standing there the former watcher would have gotten socked.
"She was probably just following him to make sure that nothing happened…without the sun it's not a safe place out there…for any of us," Willow said with a hopeful smile on her face as she looked back and forth between Robin and Gunn.
"What time is it...," Robin asked with a very frustrated frown on his face as he tried to keep his temper under control.
"Well it's almost noon…I…I'm sure they're on their way back by now…," Willow replied with a happy smile on her face at first before she saw the look of anger on Robin's face and quickly shut up.
"Uh not to break up the fun but…shouldn't we get back to trying to figure out where Buffy is…," Vi asked with a nervous look on her face as she kept Willow in between her and Robin.
"Yes, yes we should," Fred stated with a very commanding tone of voice and look on her face as she looked up from what she had been scribbling on the top piece of paper.
"Well this is just a guess mind you…but it doesn't look good," Lorne said with a sad and serious look on his face as he half turned back to look at Willow and Dawn.
"W…what do you mean it doesn't look good," Dawn asked with a very worried look on her face as she grabbed Lorne's arm and squeezed harder than she intended to.
"I'm not…entirely sure but with all of the residual emotions that I'm feeling right here are definitely from Buffy…but they only last up to a point before they just disappear like Milli Vannili," Lorne said with a pained look on his face before Dawn realized how tightly she was holding onto the empathy demon and let go.
"Who…," Vi asked with a confused frown on her face as she looked around the assembled group for answers.
"Never mind Vi…anything else Lorne," Gunn asked with a concerned frown on his face as he let the Hyperion's front doors got shut.
"Only that there was some mighty powerful magic at work here…mighty enough to be scary…," Lorne replied with a slightly scared look on his face before he turned away from the door and walked back towards the kitchen with a slightly sickly look on his face.
* * * * * *
The meeting between Anya and Xander had happened a little over an hour before and Anya and Cordelia had already recounted their adventures in the hereafter limbo world before the quartet caught site again of the Initiative tents. Xander had few questions to ask during the journey, being to overjoyed with the fact that Anya was back where he thought she belonged to think of any, while Andrew was constantly coming up with one new question after another. By the time Anya saw Giles picking through what was left of the largest tent she and Cordelia were about ready to reach out and strangle the former nerd.
"Giles…," Anya shouted with a delighted fervor to her voice as she sped off towards the old watcher and wrapped him in a tight bear hug before he could even utter her name in the form of a question.
"Hi Giles…," Cordelia said with a tired smile on her face and a week wave of her hand before she collapsed down onto the first open chair that she came across.
"We did it…," Andrew squealed with a smile of sheer delight on his face as he had to his best high wire impression to keep from dropping the digital video camera.
"A…Anya…oh my," Giles stammered out with a completely confused look on his face at first, as Anya released her crushing grip on him, before crushing her in a hug of bear hug of his own.
"Yes Giles…nice to see you…uh Xander…," Anya started to say with a happy smile on her face before she became worried and almost yelled the last bit.
"Easy G-man, ya don't wanna crush her," Xander said with a slightly worried look on his face as he rushed to Anya's aide and pried an overwhelmed Giles off of her.
"Yes…of course, I'm sorry I…," Giles said with a flustered look on his face as he took a step back to completely survey the situation in front of him.
"If you're going to ask us why we're not dead in Anya's case…or in a coma for me well…guess you'll have to ask Spike or Molly, wherever they ran off to…they'd know more than us…," Cordelia exclaimed with a tired sigh and shrug of her shoulders as she began to sift through the contents of a nearby trunk.
"Wait…Spike…Molly, but they're…," Xander stumbled out with a confused and startled look on his face as he turned back and forth between Cordelia and Anya.
"Alive and well last time we saw them…," Anya interjected with an optimistic smile on her face before she to entered the tent and began to scrounge around for something to eat.
"But…at the vineyard…and…," Xander asked with a thoroughly confused look on his face as he motioned to back to the large crater that was Sunnydale.
"Yeah they died…and now they're alive again…but who hasn't gone through that," Anya started to say with an absentminded smirk on her face before she realized that Giles, Andrew, and Xander were staring at her. "Okay…after I died I was alone for a long time except for the souls of those that hadn't made it out of Sunnydale before…but then Cordelia shows up and we talked for a bit before Spike just walked up, right out of the blue…he was naked…," Anya added with a huge and sly grin on her face as he took a second to remember the scene.
"So then we talk for a bit before Joyce, or at least something that looked a lot like Joyce showed up and offered to help, she said that Spike had a choice about whether or not to help Buffy and Dawn or go to hell, he chose to help Buffy and Dawn," Cordelia said with a bored look on her face as she brought a banana out of the trunk and smiled before noticing that Giles was still looking on with a confused look on his face.
"So Joyce made Spike human…well more than human actually, a male slayer if you will…," Anya said with a weary look on her face as she spotted a small refrigerator and went to investigate.
"Oh my…," Was all that Giles could get out as his and Xander's brains were furiously trying to take in and process all that they were hearing.
"As for Molly…well we found her later on in the wreckage, don't ask me how she made it but she did…," Cordelia added on through a mouthful of the banana.
"But how…how did the two of you…," Andrew stammered out softly as he began to scratch his head with a confused frown on his face.
"Well Joyce gave me the choice about whether or not I wanted to live again and be with Xander and Cordelia well…pretty much the same, exact for the Xander part," Anya said with a proud look on her face as she brought a bottle of water out of the small refrigerator and opened it before taking a long drink. She went to take another drink but had to stop as Xander rushed forward and hugged her tightly again.
"This is…this is all…unprecedented…you have to tell Angel what you just told me...," Giles started to stammer out with a concerned and serious look on his face before he stopped abruptly as when he said Angel's name Cordelia almost choked on her banana.
"A…Angel…he's here…," Cordelia stammered out with a terrified look on her face as she shakily stood up out of her chair and started to almost frantically look for something to hide behind.
"Cordelia, what is it, what's wrong…," Giles asked with a confused and worried frown on his face as he took a step forward in hopes of calming the former cheerleader down.
"He…he can't…not yet, not after what I did…," Cordelia mumbled out softly, still with the terrified look on her face as she hurried to the darkest part of the tent and hunkered down behind a large stack of boxes.
"What you did…I don't," Giles exclaimed with a confused look on his face as he started to go to Cordelia's side but was halted by Xander.
"Giles…," Xander shouted loudly with a worried look on his face as he rushed past the old watcher and ran off towards a trio of figures that were slowly emerging from the shadows.
"Good heavens…," Giles muttered softly with a worried frown on his face before he hurried, as best he could, after Xander.
"Xander, Giles, over here…," Angel shouted more out of frustration and worry than desperation as he did his best to shift Riley's weight more onto him.
"Riley…geez Angel what happened," Xander asked with a worried frown on his face as he rushed to Riley's side and looped an arm around his shoulders to help Angel.
"I don't know…it just came out of nowhere…it just started killing everyone…," Sam stuttered out with an obviously overwhelmed look on her face as she tried to keep up with Angel and now Xander carrying her husband. She tried for a bit longer before she sighed deeply and had to lean up against the remains of another tent lest she fall over.
"Here let me…," Giles said with a very kind and non threatening look on his face as he rushed to Sam's side and helped her to limp along on her ankle that had become very painful. All she could do in response was to smile and nod her head.
"Was it by any chance a but ugly demon made of rock with two big horns on its head, talking like it was the almighty…," Angel asked with a growing look of concern on his face as if he didn't really even need to ask the question as he already felt that he knew the answer.
"Y…yeah, how'd you…," Sam started to reply with a pained grimace on her face before Angel cut in.
"It was the Beast, an extremely powerful demon with the biggest superiority complex I've seen this side of Spike," Angel added with a grim scowl on his face as beside him Xander stifled a short fit of laughter.
"Are you sure Angel, you and Wesley just fought against it in Los Angeles, could it have had time to travel to Sunnydale," Giles asked with a deep in thought look on his face as he helped Sam find a seat on top of an overturned trunk.
"If it's any help it came out of a portal…," Sam said with a tired look on her face as she kept her gaze locked on Riley, who was slowly starting to come to.
"Cool…," Andrew mumbled lightly as he had a sudden burst of inspiration and rushed over towards Angel and Xander, lugging a stretcher with him that he had found amidst the carnage.
"No not cool Andrew…," Giles said with a very serious look on his face as he hurried back into the tent in search of a first aid kid and any other medical equipment that he could find. While he was searching Angel and Xander carefully laid Riley down on the stretcher. Neither noticed an almost bored looking Anya walk up, still taking a drink from her bottle of water.
"Hello Angel…my he's still tall, dark, and glowery…he's probably evil again," Anya started to say with a calm smile on her face before she turned to Xander and nodded her head as she finished.
"I'm not evil again…why does everybody always…Anya," Angel started to angrily reply more out of habit than listening to what Anya had said before he realized who was talking to him. Anya started to reply but was cut short when Angel reached out and hugged her tightly. "Wait, if you're here then…," Angel started to say with almost a too good to be true look on his face as he released Anya before Xander nodded his head and turned and looked back towards the darkened corner of the tent that Cordelia had hidden in. Without another word Angel rushed over to the boxes and found Cordelia curled up behind them. "Cordy…," Angel said, almost in a whisper, as he tried to keep himself from kneeling down and taking her into his arms. With a terrified look on her face, and tears streaming down her cheeks, Cordelia slowly turned around and faced Angel. Angel made a move to touch her but Cordelia shrank away, with a look of shame on her face that made Angel cringe.
"Don't…Angel…after what I…," Cordelia mumbled out softly through the tears before Angel had had enough. With one strong motion he leaned down, grabbed her arm and pulled the former cheerleader to her feet. "Angel…," Was all that Cordelia could get out with a worried look in her eyes before Angel softly brushed some of the dirt off of her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm so sorry…it wasn't me…I wasn't in control…I couldn't," Cordelia said as she started to babble recklessly.
"Shh…I know…," Angel whispered back softly before he hugged her tightly as she finally let the tears loose and sobbed against his chest. Andrew wiped away a tear and decided against turning on the video camera as nearby Xander wore a happy grin.
END OF CHAPTER 11